Gun sight and mounting



Search Room (H2 292569411 SR p 16, 1941- G. D. RUSSELL 2,256,411

GUN SIGHT AND MOUNTING Filed Oct. 51, 1940 gwuem/tm 80191? Husseil *1 r i O i Patented Sept. 16, 1941 Search ileum UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved construction of gun sight and mounting, and aims particularly to provide an improved construction of front and rear gun sights so constructed that the vision of the marksman will not be obstructed while sighting to thereby provide for greater accuracy.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a gun sight having means to provide allowances for elevation, windage and lead on swiftly moving objects; means for quickly substituting different sighting units to compensate for varying light conditions and for peculiarity of eyesight; and means whereby the adjustment of the sights and the interchanging of the sighting units may be made with the use of a few tools.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide a gun sight wherein the front and rear sights, when alined, will resemble a spider web with a small opening or snake eye in the center thereof in which the target is adapted to be centered.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a rifle barrel, shown equipped with the sight,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of one form of the front sight,

Figure 3 i an edge view partly in section and partly in elevation of the same,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the rear sight of the form shown in Figures 2 and 3,

Figure 5 is an edge View partly in section and partly in elevation of the same,

Figure 6 is a side elevational view showing the front and rear sights of Figures 2 to 5, as they would appear to the marksman when correctly aligned,

Figure '7 is a similar View of another form of the invention,

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 4 of the rear sight of the modified form, and

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the front sight of the modified form.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, l designates a portion of a rifle barrel having transversely disposed dovetail shaped grooves in the upper side thereof, one adjacent "each end of the barrel, said grooves being designated II. A front sight, designated generally I2 is mounted adjacent the forward end of the bar- 55 rel, and a rear sight, designated generally [3, is mounted adjacent the rear end thereof. The front sight l2, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3, includes a cylindrical shell member H, the bore of which is enlarged at one end as seen at IS. A

portion of the shell I4 is attached to a dovetail shaped base member I6 which is sized to fit the groove I I, at the forward end of the barrel H), for mounting the shell H of the front sight [2 on the 10 forward end of the barrel.

The rear sight I3 includes a shell I! which is likewise cylindrical in shape and recessed at one end at l8 similarly to the recessed portion l5 of the shell l4. Shell I1 is provided with a depending tenon IS. A dovetail shaped base member is sized to fit the groove II at the rear end of the barrel l0, and is provided with an elongated upwardly opening groove 2| to receive the tenon I9, and which is substantially longer than 20 said tenon so that the shell I? may be adjusted laterally relatively to the axi of the barrel ID to provide for windage adjustments. The base member 20 is provided with a set screw 22 which opens into its groove 2| and which is adapted to 25 engage one side of the tenon l9, which side is preferably roughened, as seen in Figure 5, for retaining the shell H in any one of a plurality of adjusted positions. The tenon may likewise be raised relatively to the groove 2| and clamped in any one of a plurality of raised positions'by the set screws 22 for elevating the shell I! relatively to the base 20 to provide for adjusting the elevation of the sight.

The enlarged portions l5 and I8 form seats for split spring rings 23, the ends of which rings, at

the split portions thereof are turned inwardly to form finger holds 24 by means of which the rings 23 may be contracted for applying them to or removing them from the portions l5 and I8. Each 40 of the rings 23 is provided with a blade 25, the

ends of which form arms 26 which converge toward the center of the ring 23. Th remote ends of the arms 26 are suitably secured to the inner side of the ring 23. The intermediate portion 21 of the blade 25 is bowed inwardly to form a substantially semi-circular sighting element which is concentrically disposed in the ring 23 and around a half of the axis thereof. The blade 25 is disposed in diametrically opposed relationship to the split portion of the ring. The

half of the ring 23 which i contiguous with the blade 25 is coated with an illuminous substance, as seen at 28, and the remote ends of the supporting arms 26 are similarly coated.

The shell H is provided at its bottom with an inwardly projecting tapered lug 29 which extends from the recessed portion l thereof and which is adapted to be disposed between the finger holds 24 of the ring 23 which is mounted therein to prevent said ring 23 from being turned relatively to the shell I, and to position the blade 25 in the upper portion of the opening formed by the ring and so that the sight element 21 will be in an inverted position, as seen in Figure 2. The portion ID of the shell I! is provided with a similar projection 29 at the top thereof for similarly preventing the rotation of the ring 23 which is mounted therein and positioning the blade 25 in the lower portion of the shell I1, 50 that its sighting element 21 will open upwardly.

When the sights l2 and I3 are thus assembled and mounted on the barrel l0, and when the sights are correctly alined by the marksman they will appear to the marksman, as seen in Figure 6, with the sight elements 21 forming a circle or snake eye and the arms 26 combining therewith to form a simulated spider web. With the sights thus brought into alinement, as seen in Figure 6, the target is centered in the opening formed by the sight elements 21. It will thus be seen that the sights l2 and I3 will not obscure the marksmans vision of the target.

For night shooting, the luminous portions 28 of the rings 23 will form a circle visible to the marksman when the sights are alined, and the luminous portions 28 of the arms 26 will be pointing toward the center of the shells l4 and I"! so that the marksman can aline the target centrally of the luminous portions 28 of the arms 26.

If desired, the base 20 may be provided with markings or calibrations as seen at 30 for correctly adjusting the sight l3 to compensate for right or left windage.

In Figures 7, 8 and 9 another embodiment of the invention is disclosed wherein the shell M of the front sight I2 is substantially arch shaped and provided with a substantially flat base. The blade 26 is mounted in the upper portion of a ring 23, which ring is shaped to fit the opening of the arch H. The ring 23 is split at its bottom to form the finger holds 24. The blade 26 is arranged in the upper portion of the ring 23 and its sight element 21 is disposed in an inverted position. The sight I2 is provided with a base I6 by means of which it may be mounted in the groove II at the forward end of the barrel H). The ring 23 may be applied or removed by contracting the finger holds 24' in the same manner as the ring 23.

The rear sight 13, as seen in Figure 8, likewise includes an arch shaped shell H, the height of which is substantially less than that of the shell l4. A ring 23" is shaped and sized to fit into the shell l1 and is split at its bottom and provided with the finger holds 24" for contracting the ring 23". Ring 23" is provided with a blade 26' which is mounted in the lower portion thereof with its sight element 21 opening upwardly. The sight I3 is provided with a tenon [9 for engaging a groove 2! in a base 20 and which is adjustable relatively thereto in the same manner that the tenon I9 is adjustable in the recess 2| for allowing for windage and elevation. The base 20 is shown provided with two set screws 22 for retaining the shell H in any one of a plurality of adjusted positions. It will be obvious that either embodiment of the invention may be provided with one or two set screws depending upon the size of the rear sight for holding the rear sight in adjusted positions. -The upper portion of the ring 23' and the remote ends of the arms 28' of its blade 25' are coated with a luminous substance, as seen at 28, and the lower portion of the ring 23" and the remote ends of the arms 26 of its blade 25, as illustrated in Figure 8, are coated with the luminous substance 28.

When the sights are correctly alined, as illustrated in Figure 7, they will appear to the marksman, as seen in Figure 7, with the sight elements 21' combining to form a circle. The luminous portions 28 of the members 23 and 23" will combine to form an arch shaped luminous portion with the remote ends of the arms 26' pointing toward the center of the arch. It will be obvious that the front and rear sights l2 and I3 will function in the same manner as the front and rear sights l2 and I3, and as previously described.

The members 23, 23' and 23" are made readily removable so that the shells l4 and H and I4 and IT may be provided with blades 25 and 25' of different thicknesses and colors to suit the vision of the marksman and to compensate for varying light conditions, and these supporting members may be quickly and easily removed and replaced.

While the gun sights are shown applied to a rifle barrel they are obviously well adapted for use with other types of firearms such as pistols and revolvers.

Various modifications and changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming the two embodiments of the invention, as disclosed, are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gun sight comprising shell members mounted adjacent the ends of a gun barrel, ring members detachably mounted in said shell members, each of the ringmembers being provided with a pair of converging supporting arms, and a semi-circular sighting element connected at its ends to the adjacent ends of a pair of said supporting arms and disposed concentrically within the ring, the sighting element of one of the rings being disposed above the axis thereof and the sighting element of the other ring being disposed beneath the axis of the last mentioned ring so that the sight elements will combine to appear to the shooter as a circle when the sights are alined with a target.

2. A gun sight as in claim 1, said ring members having opposite portions, which are contiguous with the supporting arms thereof, provided with a coating of a luminous substance, the remote ends of sara -parre ar'"teetering arms being coated with the luminous substance, and said luminous portions of the ring members combining to appear to the shooter as a circle when the sights arealined and the luminous portions of the arms forming luminous projections pointing toward the center of the luminous circle and in which the target is adapted to appear to be centered when the sights are alined thereon.

3. A gun sight as in claim 1, and means for preventing the ring members from turning within the shell members.

4. A gun sight as in claim 1, said ring members each comprising a split ring, said supporting arms being remotely disposed relatively to the split portions of the rings, the ends of each of the rings being turned inwardly to provide finger holds for compressing the ring for applying or removing it, and said shell members having in- 33. GEOMETRICAL KNSTRUMENTS.

hearth tiocm Wardly extending projections adapted to be disposed between pairs of the finger holds of the rings for mounting the rings in certain positions in the shells.

5. A gun sight as in claim 1, the shell member adjacent the rear of the gun barrel being provided with a depending tenon, a base member having a groove for receiving said tenon, said groove being sized to permit adjustment of the tenon horizontally and vertically relatively to the base member, and set screw means for securing the tenon in a fixed position in the groove.

6. A gun sight; comprising shell members mounted adjacent the ends of a gun barrel, said -shell members having arcuately shaped upper portions and substantially flat lower portions, yieldable supporting members detachably mounted in said shell members, semi-circular sight elements carried by said supporting members and disposed therewithin, one of said sight elements being disposed in an upright position and the other of said sight elements being inverted, and said sight elements being arranged relatively to said shell members to appear to form a circle when the sights are alined.

GEORGE D. RUSSELL. 

